There is something special about meeting new people over a dinner of hot soup and bread, said Lorraine Sandstrom, branch manager of the Library Center.

“While you’re eating and meeting new people, you have an opportunity,” she said. “You have set the stage for a compassionate and civil discussion.”

A series of dinners and discussions at the Library Center next month hope to accomplish just that.

“Food for Thought: A Civil Discussion on ...” was created through a partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District, Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Springfield-Greene County Civility Project.

The discussions take place Thursday evenings in October and will cover topics like cultural diversity, social media and poverty. The event is free, but registration is required and space is limited.

“These discussions are not solutions, this is not a task force,” Sandstrom said. “This is a chance for those of us who are not involved in the day-to-day decision making to get insight into the various sides of an issue.”

City's growing diversity

The first in the series of talks is called “Fighting Fair in the Culture Wars,” moderated by Mike Stout, associate professor of Missouri State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

This discussion will ask the question: As Springfield continues to become home to cultural, racial and social diversity, how should that be embraced and what are the repercussions if the diversity is not embraced?

First Baptist Church of Springfield senior pastor Michael Overton is one of the panelists. He is looking for an honest discussion between people with various viewpoints.

“There are many different perspectives when it comes to the cultural wars which we find ourselves in,” Overton said. “It is proper for people to speak out and speak up. Discussions can be healthy.”

Other panelists include a representative from the AIDS Project of the Ozarks, a local architect and a local business owner.

Pros, cons of being plugged-in

On Oct. 10, Brian Fogle, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, will moderate a discussion on how being constantly connected is affecting civil discussions and the community. The event is called “Constantly Connected: Social Discourse in a Multitasking World.”

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Fogle was involved in creating the Civility Project, which stems from the Good Community Committee, which he chairs.

The topic of social media and civility was brought up in the committee’s discussions. Educators on the committee noted how students felt more comfortable being cruel to teachers and students online than they would be in person.

“How can we better use social media in a productive way versus in a more vindictive way?” Fogle said.

“We’ve all read those horrible stories of bullying on the Internet and the tragedies that come out of that.”

Fogle said the discussion will be reflective and discuss how the community can have more productive conversations online. Panelists include a Drury University professor, a local psychologist, a representative from the city of Springfield and a local pastor.

“When you can have a civil dialogue about an issue without yelling or screaming or being accusatory, that’s when we move forward,” he said. “A more civil society is a more productive society.”

The impact of poverty in the city

The final discussion will be about the 50 percent of Springfield residents who live at or below the poverty level, and how that impacts the broader community. The event, called “The 50 Percent: Poverty in Our Community,” is moderated by Mark Struckhoff, executive director of Council of Churches of the Ozarks.

Principal of Robberson Community School Kevin Huffman is one of the panelists. Of Robberson’s 320 students, around 92 percent quality for free or reduced lunches, said Huffman.

“I kind of refer to our city as an opera stage because everything looks really beautiful from the front, but when you pull back that curtain a little bit, you see what’s backstage and a lot of times it’s not as pretty as what it presents itself to be,” he said.

Huffman said people who are not directly involved in working with the poor will be surprised to hear that 50 percent of the city’s citizens are living in poverty, but he has hope that once people know, they will be eager to help. “Opening eyes and starting conversations will be a good start,” he said.

Huffman does think poverty is a problem that can be solved across the board, but everyone can do their part.

“If we can help one family at a time to find a way to make their life better and make the lives of their kids better, I think we’re on the right path,” he said.